


Second Chance

by Forthediehards



Series: Second Chances [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: AU, Abuse, Abusive Relationships, Character Death, Child Abuse, Cop AU, Drug Use, Eremin - Freeform, F/M, I'm still not certain about what other pairings might pop up, It's a cool fic, Levi/Erwin takes a while too tbh, M/M, Minor Character Death, Multi, Murder, The Titans are a gang by the way, eren/armin won't be until verrrry later on, eruri - Freeform, long fic, mentions of past rape/non-con, these are troubled babies okay there are a lot of problematic things, troubled teenagers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-24
Updated: 2015-05-24
Packaged: 2018-04-01 00:37:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3999241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Forthediehards/pseuds/Forthediehards
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Officer Erwin pulls a gang leader off the streets and offers him a choice to join the police force and have a second chance at life. Following the death of his best friends, Levi feels like he has no other choice but to follow Erwin into a new life.  As if Levi didn't have enough on his plate, his entire life changes after his first day on the job. He saves a young child from a burning house, a young child who ends up turning his life (and Erwin's) around for the better.</p><p>Fifteen years later, Levi saves a young, orphaned teenager from an abusive relationship, and then another from the clutches of death by a drug overdose. He can't bear the thought of sending them to a filthy shelter where they'll be left to rot, so he teams up with Erwin and together they open a shelter of their own where they house all the orphaned and troubled kids that Levi takes off the streets.</p><p>Levi was given a second chance at life, and now that he was older and able, he felt like it was his duty to pay that gift forward.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Second Chance

“I don’t feel so good about this.”

Levi regarded Isabel’s statement with half-lidded eyes and a blank expression. In fact, it was how Levi regarded most things, and Isabel had learned that simple fact years ago. However, she had also learned how to read into his non-expressive features. His eyes managed to hide a lot of what he was feeling, but Isabel knew him much better than that. She could detect the traces of uncertainty in the creases of his forehead, and gauge his level of anxiety by how violently his hands trembled.

These were things, of course, she never told him she knew, because then he would go to extra lengths for them never to be detected again. It was one thing Isabel could say she didn’t like about Levi – how unwilling he was to show his emotions even to herself and Farlan, his closest friends.

“I don’t feel so good about this, big brother.” She stated again, letting her gaze meet with his steely grey eyes. He was breathing heavier than normal, and his dark hair was tousled out of its usual style. It was then that he finally reached forward, his heart softening at Isabel’s nickname for him, and he ran his fingers through her hair.

“Have faith, Isabel.”

The younger girl nodded, flinging herself at Levi and curling up against his chest. She knew Levi wasn’t one for physical interaction, but she was overcome by a need to be near him. It was the only thing that kept her stomach from lurching and her heart from bursting inside her chest. Something was wrong and Levi was always the one who fixed their problems. Levi was safe.

Though he stiffened at the initial contact, he allowed Isabel to lay against his chest as they waited impatiently for Farlan’s return. He hated to admit his unease, but the situation was dire and as much as he wanted to keep himself held together for his friends’ sake, he knew Isabel could hear the way his heart beat with ferocity in his chest. 

At that moment, Farlan came running up to them with panic written clearly across his soft features. He doubled over a moment, pausing to catch his breath, before finally relaying the information he had observed on his watch.

“The Titans are coming for us. There’s at least six of them, and the rest of the gang is hiding around for backup if it’s needed. They want you, Levi.”

Levi’s eyes darkened then, and he grabbed Isabel’s wrist, dragging her to Farlan and nudging her into his chest. “Fine. Take Isabel and get the hell out of here.”

“You can’t take them on yourself, Levi – ”

“I said take her and go. If you hear anything, don’t look back.”

Isabel’s eyes widened against Farlan’s chest and she turned her head to look at Levi with a bewildered expression. “We can fight too, big brother! We can do this together.”

“Isabel,” Levi’s tone was a warning one, and it made her shut her mouth immediately. “Go with Farlan.”

All she could do was nod, unable to go against Levi’s wishes. She couldn’t help but take note, however, of how bad his hands were trembling. It was a bad omen. He leaned over to Farlan’s ear and whispered, “Take care of her.”

And it was at that very moment the attack came.

Levi had wasted no time in drawing his knives and lashing out on every single body that dared make contact with him. Farlan and Isabel had gone immediately into combat as well, completely squashing Levi’s plans to get them to safety. He had waited too long and now there wasn’t an option. If Farlan and Isabel tried to run, they would be taken down.  
He let out a grunt as he brought a knife down into one of the Titan’s necks, dragging it across the base of their throat and killing them almost instantly. He could hear the muffled groans coming from every direction as he and his friends took down each and every gang member one at a time.

Until the backup came.

Six more men came out from their perfectly placed hiding spots, catching Levi and his friends off guard. Levi immediately went into attack mode once more, and he didn’t stop until he heard a blood curdling scream from Isabel’s direction. Time slowed down, his entire body had gone rigid and cold as he turned around to look and –  
Isabel lay sprawled across the concrete, her eyes filled with tears as she reached a shaking hand out towards him. Something awful gripped at his heart, twisting it in his chest as he found himself reaching forward to grab her hand.

“Big brother…” she whimpered, her eyes so scared it made Levi want to throw up. He offered her a pained smile as their fingertips brushed, and before he could grab hold of her and pull her away from danger, one of the Titans brought a metal bat down on her head so violently it crushed her skull. Blood flew from every direction, spraying across Levi’s face and hands. He could have sworn then that his heart stopped in his chest and he couldn’t breathe. The shock and pain hit him like a brick, and he hardly registered Farlan’s terrified cry of “Isabel!” as he struggled to keep himself on his feet.

“Isabel! Isabel no!” Farlan shouted, dropping his knives as he ran forward to kneel by her side. It was all moving in slow motion for Levi, and he wanted to call out to Farlan, wanted to tell his friend not to let his guard down and to stay alert, but his throat was too tight and no words could fall from his trembling lips.

Even as he watched another Titan raise a gun level with Farlan’s chest, he couldn’t call out to warn him. He struggled to get to his feet and jump in front of Farlan’s vulnerable body, but he was too slow. The sound of a gunshot rang out around them, and Farlan’s body fell directly on top of Isabel’s in a crumpled heap. Levi didn’t need to see the wound to know the shot had pierced directly through Farlan’s heart.

And just like that, both of his friends were gone. Isabel, 18 years old and too precious for the world to handle, and Farlan, 20 years old with a heart made out of pure gold and warmth. The two people that Levi had ever loved and never told, who were there for him through thick and thin and who he would have died for in a heartbeat without a single regret.

They were gone and it was all his fault.

The rage and pain bubbled up inside of Levi, and before he even realized what he was doing, he was on his feet and viciously attacking every human he came in contact with. It didn’t take him longer than ten minutes to put every single man down to his death without a single drop of remorse in body. He slit throats, snapped necks, and stabbed through hearts without so much as blinking an eye.

And when it was over, all he could smell was blood.

The odor was sour and coppery, not at all like anything he had ever smelled before in his life. It was even worse than the stench of week-old piss and unbathed sweaty bodies that he had grown accustomed to living in the slums for so long.

He spared a glance down at his hands and felt his stomach churn when he noticed the sticky blood had nearly covered them completely. It wasn’t his own blood, but the blood of his friends and his enemies.

Time seemed to have stopped now, and the only sound he could hear was the echo of his heart beating violently in his chest. He didn’t dare look at the faces of his fallen friends, not wanting that horrific image to be the last in his memories of them.

He felt his entire body freeze as grief struck him. He didn’t cry, but his eyes were wide with pained shock and his mouth was slightly agape in horror.

If he had only been quicker, just a little bit more skilled and disciplined, he could have been able to aid his friends before they were struck down by merciless thugs. If he had trained them all better, prepared them more thoroughly for the nightmares that lurked out in the slums, all of this could have been avoided.

He fell forward slightly, his hands reaching out to catch his body before it hit against the cold ground. He smeared blood across the concrete and it made him dry heave as he struggled to keep his demeanor. His consciousness was slipping fast, both from shock and from the wound in his side he hadn’t even realized he had sustained until now. After a few agonizing moments, his head hit the ground with a soft ‘thud.’

All that he could remember past that point were bright blue eyes, golden hair, and a warm hand against his pulse-point.

~~

When Levi woke up, he felt warm. It was an odd sort of sensation, and not something he was entirely used to. He didn’t have the luxury of blankets or heaters out on the streets, so the thin white sheet wrapped around his body was more than a shock to him.

He barely looked around the room before he wondered where Isabel and Farlan were. They were always at his side no matter what the situation, and not to see them immediately was more than disheartening. What was even more disheartening, however, was the fact that he had finally figured out he was in a hospital.

The door to his room squeaked open and his eyes instantly shot over to see who was intruding in on his space. He was edgy, and having been stripped of his weapons he was also defenseless. He could protect himself with his bare hands, but only to a certain extent.

However, the man who popped his head into the room looked anything but threatening. He had soft blond hair and homely blue eyes that seemed oddly familiar to Levi. He furrowed his brows and continued to glare relentlessly at the intruder, as if it was going to scare him away. The man was easily twice the size Levi was – it would be much like a Chihuahua attempting to take on a Mastiff; both comical and doomed for failure on the little Chihuahua’s part. Levi swallowed.

“Ah, good, you’re awake.” Came a deep voice, much deeper than Levi had been anticipating, and he so kindly ignored the comment from the stranger as he continued to glare a hole into the man’s head. “Awake and volatile, I see.” 

“Where are Isabel and Farlan?” Levi demanded harshly, and he was genuinely surprised to see a dark look pass across the other man’s features. He seemed almost sad, like he knew something grave that Levi didn’t. It made his gut twist and turn in all the most uncomfortable ways.

“You don’t remember? There was a fight…” The man began softly, taking a few steps closer to Levi’s bed and sitting down tentatively on the chair at his bedside. It was then that Levi saw the glint of the man’s badge from the light above their heads, and just like that, everything seemed to click together in his brain.

This man was a cop. Levi was in the hospital because he’d been stabbed in the side. He had passed out on the cold concrete because…

“It was six members of The Titans against the three of you. How you managed to survive is beyond me, but here you are. Unfortunately, your friends did not share your luck.”  
An uncomfortable silence filled the room, other than the sound of Levi’s heart monitor. The rhythmic beeping soon turned a bit more frantic, and the cop’s eyes trailed up to look at the readings on the screen. If he was being honest, it was better than seeing the look of despair that was sure to surface on the young thug’s face.

“They…” Levi choked out, working against every emotion he felt bubbling up in his chest to keep himself composed. He refused to break down in front of a cop. He refused to let his weakness show to a complete stranger.

Now that the pieces were all lining up, he could remember the sour scent of blood in the air and feel the slick substance creeping into the beds of his nails as he listened to the last pained sounds his friends would ever make.

“Big brother,” Isabel had called out to him, her arm outstretched and eyes filled to the brim with tears. Just as Levi had tried to grab onto her hand, a lethal blow had been made to her skull. He could remember the feeling of bile rising in his throat, the genuine panic and horror settling into his stomach and stirring its contents.

Farlan’s death had been far more sudden. A quick shot through his heart and he had gone down with no more than a frightened grunt. Levi could feel the bile rising in his throat once more, but he choked it back as best he could.

“Am I under arrest?”

The cop looked surprised by Levi’s question, blond eyebrows raising slightly as he leaned back in his chair. He made a face, almost like Levi had asked the most obvious question in the world. He composed himself, however, and cleared his throat.

“That choice is yours to make, Levi. I didn’t come here to arrest you. I came here to offer you a second chance – to take you in with the cadets at the academy, train you, and put you out in the field as a cop. You’ve got the skills we’re looking for, undeniably.” The man explained softly, almost as though he feared if he raised his voice, it would break the fragile thread that kept Levi’s sanity together. The smaller man was bound to break soon, as much as he tried to hide it. His entire being was shaking in his bed and it was only a matter of time.

“What’s your name?” Was Levi’s only response, his eyes dark and determined as he finally met the officer’s gaze. It made the blond shift a bit, not that he would ever admit to it.

“Officer Erwin Smith.”

Levi hummed in acknowledgment, breaking their gaze and looking down at his hand where he fiddled nervously with the IV line stuck into his vein. His breath was ragged, uneven as he nodded softly. Levi had nowhere else to go, no one else to go home to, and this man had so graciously saved his life. Even though Levi just met him, he oddly felt like he could trust him, like he had known him his entire life. “I’ll go with you, Erwin.” 

Erwin nodded triumphantly, having expected a bit of a fight from the known criminal. Then again, he had Levi pushed between a rock and a hard place. He had done enough research on the smaller man to know that Farlan and Isabel had been his only friends and family left after his mother died when he was small. Levi didn’t have anywhere else to go – unless he wanted to live in jail.

“Wise choice. Your wounds should be healed within the next two days, and I’ll be here to pick you up so we can start your training.” Erwin informed him, standing up from his chair and offering a hint of a smile to the new cadet. Levi did not return the smile, however, which didn’t come as too much of a shock anyway.

Deciding that Levi probably needed the time alone to grieve, Erwin turned on his heel and headed straight for the door. With his hand on the knob, his gaze focused back to Levi and he let out a soft sigh.

“And Levi? I’m sorry for your loss. Everything will be fine from here on out, now.”

He didn’t wait for Levi to respond, and instead rushed himself out the door. As he passed by Levi’s room, he could catch a glimpse of the smaller man through the window and what he saw made something stir in his chest. Levi had curled himself into a ball and was openly crying into his pillow, his tiny frame heaving with the sobs.

Erwin wasn’t one for revenge, but he silently swore to himself then that he would ensure Levi’s chance to avenge his friends.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first time I've attempted a long, chaptered fic in years. It's also the second SNK/AOT fic I've ever written. I'm open to all constructive criticism and all comments alike. I just wanted to create something that was both fun for me to write and fun for you guys to read! I really hope that you enjoyed the first part! I may also create a series of one-shots that fill in some grey areas that the fic didn't touch in detail!


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